PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 1: Another School Year
by HPDrummerman
Summary: The PEANUTS gang start a new school year. Charlie Brown and his friends meet a new student named Ox. When he develops a crush on Violet's best friend Patty, Lucy plans a mean prank on him. Also Thibault may be stalking Patty after their breakup the previous year. Meanwhile, Peppermint Patty is determined to do good in school this year.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 1: Another School Year

 **CHAPTER 1: READY, NOT READY ALREADY**

Charlie Brown was getting dressed for school. He was excited and nervous at the same time. He was excited because he could begin the new school year on a high note, as he and his friends were starting fourth grade this year. On top of that he finally had a girlfriend in Frieda, the girl with the naturally curly hair. As it turned out, she harbored a crush on him since Linus first introduced them. She didn't previously act upon her feelings only because she was nervous about what other kids would think. And she was also nicer to Charlie Brown than some of the other girls, barring Peppermint Patty and Marcie. So she finally told Charlie Brown how she felt about him and was the first girl in school to give him a valentine on Valentine's Day. They've been inseparable ever since.

He was also nervous because even with Frieda by his side, he was still very much Charlie Brown. While his baseball team had their best showing in who knows when, not losing games at huge margins as they usually did, he was still losing games. He was a bit more optimistic about it than he had been in the past. But he was also nervous because he still didn't think folks respected him enough to think he would be good at something. Although he had improved a bit on his personality, some of the flaws were still prevalent. But with the support of Frieda, Linus, Sally, and Snoopy, he felt like he could deal with any trouble that came his way.

Sally, on the other hand, was not excited about starting school. In fact, she was even more nervous than her brother. She was starting second grade and that meant more homework than she had before. Not that she looked forward to going to school in the first place. Every year school started up, she had some sort of complaint. On top of that, she heard that her teacher was very strict. She was very nervous about that.

"What if the teacher sends me to the dungeon?" she asked her brother. "They'd lock me up and I wouldn't see the light of day until I was 25!"

"They don't have a dungeon at school, Sally," Charlie Brown replied. "If you're bad, they may ask you to stay after school, but they wouldn't put you in a dungeon."

"Why would they make you stay after school? If school was already out, why would they keep you there? They had already taught us for the day!"

"You'd stay after school for what they call 'Detention,'" said Charlie Brown. "If you pushed a kid on the playground, or didn't do your homework, they'd make you stay after school for detention and you either sit at a desk moping, or they'd make you write one hundred lines on the marker board."

"Remind me not to push anyone on the ground," Sally said as she grabbed her backpack. Charlie Brown grabbed his backpack as well and they both grabbed their lunches and left for the bus stop. As they were leaving they walked by Snoopy's doghouse and spotted the beagle doing some work inside his house. He was too busy to pay attention to the two kids.

At the Van Pelt house, Lucy was trying to get Rerun from under his bed as he usually did when he didn't want to go to school. Linus was already getting his stuff together. He also walked into Rerun's room to see if he came out yet.

"Come on, Rerun," said Lucy, her patience wearing thin. "We're going to be late!"

"No," said Rerun, "you two are going to be late. I'm staying right here until next summer. Or Christmas, whichever comes first."

"But you start first grade today," protested Linus. "It's a big day for you."

"I'm too young to deal with this much pressure!" Rerun exclaimed. "I'm only six years old!"

"Look Rerun," Lucy started, "we don't like going to school, either, but we know we have to. If we're going to make it in this world, we need the education. Think of it as going to work, like mom and dad. They have to leave for work, too, just like we need to go to school. Besides that, it's Macaroni Monday today."

"Well, I do like macaroni and cheese," Rerun said, pondering. "Okay, I guess I'll go, seeing that it's Macaroni Monday." He crawled from under his bed and got his stuff. Soon, the Van Pelt siblings were out the door, as well.

Frieda was walking down the sidewalk towards the bus stop. She was singing to herself a song she had learned for a show she did during the summer. She was in a talent show over the summer break. Charlie Brown, of course, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Snoopy, and Schroeder were there for support. It wasn't a contest where someone would win a prize, but a showcase of different talent around the tri-county region. She had gotten a standing ovation, making her friends proud. When she got to the bus stop, Charlie Brown, Sally, and Schroeder were already there.

"Hey Schroeder, Sally," she greeted.

"Hi, Frieda," they both greeted.

"Hey handsome," she said to Charlie Brown, who blushed right away.

"Hi, Frieda," said Charlie Brown, happy to see her. They kissed each other. "How are you?"

"I'm great this nice day," Frieda said. "The morning's not too cool; the birds are chirping, plus a whole new school year is about to begin. And I'm with my favorite boy." And she held Charlie Brown's hand. At that moment, Lucy, Linus, and Rerun came walking up.

"Hey everybody," greeted Lucy. "I'm glad we made it on time, in spite of SOMEONE almost making us late." She glared at Rerun, who only smiled nervously and turned red with embarrassment.

"Who do you have for your teacher this year, Charlie Brown?" asked Linus.

"Someone named Mrs. Edmonton," answered Charlie Brown.

"Looks like we're in the same class again," Linus responded. "That's who I have as well. I hope she's as good as Ms. Othmar was."

"Well I got Mr. Garrett," said Lucy. "I heard he's the most handsome teacher in the school. You hear that, Schroeder? You may have some competition."

"Take her, Mr. Garrett, PLEASE!" retorted Schroeder.

"I have Mr. Garrett as well," said Frieda. "I don't care if he looks like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, or Robert Patterson put together, my eyes are only for Charlie Brown."

"Thanks, Frieda," Charlie Brown said.

"I feel the same way," Sally added. "No good-looking teacher will ever take the place of my Linus!" She hugged Linus's arm.

"YOUR LINUS?!" he retorted. "Who do you have anyway, Sally?"

"I have Mr. Frumple," said Sally.

"Mr. Frumple?!" shouted Lucy. "What in the world kind of name is that?"

"I don't know, but I did see him during orientation," Charlie Brown said. "Let's just say he was a very rotund, sloppily-dressed person. I heard he's very strict and takes no prisoners. Sally even thought he'd throw her in a dungeon if she was bad."

"We have no dungeons at school," Rerun reasoned.

"Who do you have, Rerun?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Looks like I got Mrs. Halverson," he said.

"She's also a good teacher, Rerun," said Linus. "You'll like her."

At that moment the bus arrived to take the kids to school. They all boarded and the then the bus left for school.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: NEW KID IN TOWN**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: BIG AS AN "OX"**

At the school, the kids were arranging their lockers. Charlie Brown and Linus had lockers next to each other. Lucy and Frieda's were side by side as well. Sally had met up with Eudora, who was in third grade; a step up from Sally, but they still worked together when they could. Rerun was getting his stuff ready and heading for class. A pretty girl walked up to him.

"Hi, Rerun," said the girl.

"Oh hi, Piper," Rerun greeted. "Are you in Mrs. Halverson's class, too?"

"Yeah, I am," Piper said. "I'm glad we're in the same class together."

"Me too," said Rerun. "I almost didn't come today, but I'm glad I did now."

"I'm glad you did too, Rerun."

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Linus were in their classroom waiting for class to begin. They were wondering how it was going to start.

"So how do you think this class will start, Charlie Brown?" Linus asked.

"I don't know, Linus," said Charlie Brown, "but I think it'll be alright."

Just at that moment, a big shadow entered the doorway. But it wasn't the teacher. A giant of a boy entered the room. All of the kids gasped when they saw him. He wasn't fat; just big and brawny. His footsteps almost shook the entire room.

"Is HE in our class?" whispered Linus to Charlie Brown.

"I think he is, Linus," said Charlie Brown, nervously. "He's monstrous!"

"I hope he's nice," Linus said. When the kid shuffled to his seat in the back, he pushed back some of the desks that were too close without any effort.

"Good grief!" Charlie Brown said quietly to Linus. "Did you see that?"

"I did, Charlie Brown," Linus said. "He's really strong! I thought Lucy was tough."

Just then, Mrs. Edmonton walked in and greeted the class. She had everyone introduce themselves. Schroeder, Linus, and Charlie Brown all introduced themselves when it was their turn. When she came to the big kid, he stood up and began to speak.

"My name is Oxford Warren," he began, speaking surprisingly softly for a kid his size. "My friends back home called me 'Ox' for short, and I'm as big as an ox. I moved here from Boise, Idaho, and my father works for a big company, which brought us here. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I do have a few cousins."

The teacher said that was enough and Ox took his seat. The teacher then starts the day with introducing what was happening for the year. Mrs. Edmonton was very pleasant and warm toward her students.

Meanwhile in Sally's class, Mr. Frumple waddled into the classroom. He grunted about how he expects his students to work hard and not slack off in class. He would not accept any excuses for late schoolwork. Plus he said that any late homework will result in an automatic F. Sally groaned thinking to herself this will not be a good school year.

In Mr. Garrett's class, the girls were swooning over the handsome teacher, except Frieda, who was paying attention to his lesson plan. Lucy and some of the other girls were dreamy-eyed over the rugged looks of Mr. Garrett. The boys and Frieda were actually listening to what he was saying.

Later at lunch, Charlie Brown, Frieda, and Linus ate at a bench together. Charlie Brown and Linus told Frieda about the new kid Ox.

"He's as big as a house," said Linus, "and really strong! Everyone is scared to talk to him."

"Nobody's said anything to him?" asked Frieda.

"Well I thought about talking to him to break the ice," said Charlie Brown. "I know firsthand what it's like to be shunned. And I'm nowhere near as big as he is. He doesn't seem mean at all. When he spoke in class, he sounded nice and polite."

"Well they say never judge a book by its cover," said Linus. "That's a good idea, Charlie Brown. See what kind of a guy he is."

"See what kind of a guy who is?" Lucy walked in and joined them.

"A new kid in our class, Lucy," said Linus. "There he is." And sure enough, Ox was walking with his tray of food. He was looking for a bench to sit at and possibly meet new friends. No one wanted to be near the giant of a boy and moved away when he tried to sit with other kids. Ox sighed and sat by himself. Charlie Brown knew how that felt from experience. Lucy, of course, was not compassionate.

"Why would you guys want to be friends with that kid?" she said, without a shred of remorse. "He's a monster! He'd eat you and then ask for seconds! I'm not going anywhere near him!"

Charlie Brown and Frieda glared angrily at Lucy, who didn't see them, but kept staring at Ox. "Why must you always see the bad in everyone," said an angry Linus. "Just to prove you wrong, I'm going to talk to him."

"Are you mad?!" said a bewildered Lucy.

"Yeah, maybe I am!" And with that, Linus walked over to the giant of a kid, eating his lunch sadly. Charlie Brown, Frieda, and Lucy watched closely.

"Hi," said Linus to Ox. "We're in the same class together. Ox is your name, right? My name is Linus."

"Hi, Linus," said Ox, quietly. "Nice to meet you."

"I see you're eating lunch by yourself," Linus noticed. "How would you like to join me and my friends for lunch?"

"I would like that very much," the gentle giant said with a smile.

"We're eating over here. You're welcome to join us." Linus and Ox proceeded to walk over toward the rest of the kids.

"Oh good grief," Lucy said, with annoyance. "That blockhead is bringing him over here."

"Oh be quiet, Lucy," said Frieda. And Linus began to introduce Ox to the rest of the kids. Schroeder also walked in and joined them.

"Ox, these are my friends," Linus began. "This is my best friend Charlie Brown."

"It's nice to meet you, Ox," said Charlie Brown. "We're also in the same class."

"This is Frieda, Charlie Brown's girlfriend."

"Hello, Ox," said Frieda. "I hope we can become good friends."

"And this is Schroeder."

"You're the one I heard that likes Beethoven, aren't you?" said Ox.

"That's right," said Schroeder. "You like Beethoven, too?"

"Oh yes. Back in Boise, listening to his music made me feel good."

"And this is my sister Lucy."

"Charmed," Lucy said, coldly.

"Well it's nice to meet all of you," said Ox. "All I want is to make new friends and have a fresh start."

"Well I'd be glad to be your friend, Ox," said Charlie Brown, smiling.

"I am too, Ox," Frieda agreed.

"Likewise," said Schroeder. "Especially someone with a passion for Beethoven like me."

"Well," Lucy began, "I think you're okay. Excuse me for being cautious, but it's just… you know…"

"My large size, right?" said Ox. "No worries. I'm used to it. In fact I always thought no one liked me because of my large size. People didn't want to include me in anything; even sports."

"Believe me, Ox," Charlie Brown stated, "I know firsthand how that can be. And I'm not even half the size you are." And for the rest of lunch, Charlie Brown and his friends got to know Ox and find out more about his life in Boise before moving to their town. Linus told him about the Great Pumpkin, of course, Schroeder asked which Beethoven sonata he liked best, Charlie Brown asked if he would be interested in playing on his baseball team and told him about Snoopy, Frieda told him about her singing and how she loves her naturally curly hair (and Charlie Brown, obviously), and Lucy told him if he ever needed any "friendly advice" to come down to her psychiatric booth and she could analyze him for a nickel. Charlie Brown also told him about Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, Roy, Hans, and Franco, and promised to introduce them to him. When it was time to get back to class, Ox was even happier than he was at the beginning of the day. He just made some new friends and he was going to make more later.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: NARCOLEPSY AT ITS FINEST**

Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Franklin were in the same class again this year, only a grade higher. Franklin up front, Marcie in the back, and Patty in dead center, like they always had been. This time they had more company. Patty and Marcie's German boyfriends had come to America and were now students at their school. Hans, the boy they stayed with, was now dating Marcie, and Franco, his best friend, was dating Patty. They were still great friends with Charlie Brown, but the unrequited love they had for him was gone, thanks to Hans and Franco. Plus with Charlie Brown dating Frieda, it was just as well.

Peppermint Patty was falling asleep in class again. Her father was working late again and she stayed up worrying about him. Back in Germany, when she and Marcie were on Foreign Exchange, she had no worries and actually gotten some much needed rest. But now that she was back home, she was falling back into old habits.

"Psst, sir," said Marcie. "The teacher's calling on you."

Patty immediately woke up. "I'm awake! The answer is 12! John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence! Edgar Allan Poe wrote 'The Tell-Tale Heart'!"

"She was just calling roll, sir," Marcie replied.

"Sorry, Marcie," Patty said sadly. "I seem to be falling back into my dumb state. I was determined to do better this year. Especially after everything I learned in Germany. This was what I was afraid of."

"If it'll make you feel better, sir, you can stay the night at my house on those nights your dad works late. Then you won't be by yourself and you can study hard and get plenty of rest."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that, Marcie. I hate being home by myself. This is what makes me sometimes wish I had a mother." Marcie could see her friend tearing up a little.

"Don't worry, sir," Marcie said to Patty. "I'll talk to my parents about it and they can talk to your dad and work something out so you won't have to be home alone all of the time."

"Thanks, Marcie," said Patty, wiping her eyes. "Words can't describe what a good friend you are to me."

"Think nothing of it, sir."

"Although I wish you'd stop calling me 'sir'."

Later that day, Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, Shermy, and Ox were at Charlie Brown's home. Snoopy was there with them, taking a break from whatever he was doing all day. Ox had made quite a few friends for the first day of school. Plus some of the kids who avoided him at first were starting to warm to him. Even Lucy got over her aversion towards him and started talking to him more.

Shermy asked, "So what's life like in Boise, Ox?"

"It's fine," said Ox. "There are a lot of mountains, though. Plus I hate potatoes! When you're from the Potato Capitol of the World, you pretty much are burned out on them. I don't even eat French Fries or potato chips!"

The kids laughed. Everyone was having a good time. Then Sally walked in. "Hey big brother, I was wondering if you've seen my… WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!" She pointed to Ox. She hadn't met him yet.

"Sally, this is Ox," Charlie Brown said. "He's a new kid in our class. Ox, this is my sister, Sally."

"Nice to meet you, Sally," Ox replied, politely.

"How tall are you?" the bewildered girl asked. "You could go out for basketball. You could definitely go out for football!"

"You'll have to forgive her," Charlie Brown said with embarrassment. "Tact is not one of Sally's strongest attributes." He glared at his sister, who now looked even more embarrassed than her older brother.

"That's all right, Charlie Brown," said Ox. "I get that quite a bit. I'm used to it."

"So what did you need, Sally?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Oh yeah," Sally remembered. "Have you seen my new ruler? Mr. Frumple gave us a homework assignment. ON THE FIRST DAY! We're just getting back into the swing of things and he's already giving us homework! I think he hates kids. There may not be a dungeon at the school, but I think he has one at his home for kids who don't finish their homework!"

"Well I don't know where your ruler is," Charlie Brown said, "but you can use mine if you need one."

"Thanks, big brother. Does my Sweet Babboo want to help his Sally with her homework assignment?"

"I'M NOT YOUR SWEET BABBOO!" Linus exclaimed. "AND I WOULDN'T HELP YOU GET A ROOT CANAL!"

"Isn't he the cutest thing?" Sally cooed and left the room.

"Sweet Babboo?" said a confused Ox.

"Don't ask!" everyone said in unison.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: OX AND PATTY SITTING IN A TREE…**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: HOW DO YOU LOVE AN OX?**

The next day at school during recess, Charlie Brown and Linus were walking through the playground when they spotted Ox with a weird look on his face. Charlie Brown recognized it right away. Ox had fallen in love. It was the same look Charlie always had whenever he saw the little red-haired girl when she still lived in town. But who did Ox fall for? They decided to do some digging.

"Hey, Ox," said Linus.

"You look happy about something," Charlie Brown observed.

"Yeah," sighed Ox. "I've fallen in love with a very pretty girl. But I don't know how I'll approach her."

"Well it shouldn't be too hard," Linus said. "Who is the girl in question?"

"It's her." He pointed towards Patty, who was with Violet, naturally.

"Oh brother!" Charlie Brown moaned. "Why did he have to fall for one of the members of the 'Snob Squad'?"

"What is a 'Snob Squad'?" asked Ox.

"You see that dark-haired girl next to her?" said Charlie Brown. "That's Violet. The girl you like is Patty, her best friend. Those two girls had made my life a living nightmare as far as I can remember. They always made fun of my shortcomings, called me names, and went out of their way to exclude me in parties that they have thrown. Patty is marginally nicer, but there's nothing nice about Violet. In fact, Violet is cruel toward everyone. She puts down Pig Pen for being too dirty, Linus for carrying his blanket, even Lucy isn't safe from her, though to be fair, Lucy can hold her own against Violet as she's the only one who can be even meaner than her. But she's worse to me, and I don't know why. Though lately, she has left me alone because I started developing more of a spine and not dealing with her taunts. Plus being with Frieda has helped a little as well."

"Charlie Brown's right, Ox," Linus added. "Plus Shermy dates Violet. He's the only person she treats with respect, besides Patty. As Charlie Brown said, they eased up on their taunts on him, but they're still the meanest girls around. Sure Lucy can be crabby and she always tries to take my blanket from me, but I'll take Lucy on her worse day over Violet anytime. As far as Patty goes, she can be a little nice, especially when Violet's not around. Even Charlie Brown's been able to approach Patty when Violet isn't in the vicinity. But when those two get together, look out! They take no prisoners!"

"Frieda has told me not to even listen to them, no matter how hurtful they get," Charlie Brown continued. "I learned they do it mainly to get a rise out of me. They get a thrill out of seeing me depressed. It's sick, to be truthful. It's almost like they have no soul. Take my advice, Ox. Stay as far away from Patty as possible, unless you want to feel Violet's wrath."

"I don't get it," said Ox. "How can someone so pretty be so mean?"

"It's because they know they're pretty and can get away with it," said Schroeder, who joined up with the boys. "And unless you're Shermy, they will go out their way to humiliate you. I'm sure Charlie Brown's filled you in on their endless torment of him. And I barely tolerate Lucy, so you know I can't stand either one of them."

"It still baffles me how someone as nice as Shermy could date someone as mean as Violet, though," said Linus. "Maybe Shermy to Violet is like you to Lucy, Schroeder. But unlike you who's smart not to go after my sister, Shermy caught the bait and is now hooked by her."

"Listen to us, Ox," Schroeder continued. "Dealing with Patty is more trouble than it's worth. All those girls know is divide and conquer. Nothing good will come out of it. Shermy's been lucky so far, but who know how long that luck will last."

Ox listened to his friends. They never steered him wrong so far. But he wondered was the lure of Patty too much of a temptation. He decided to seek out some advice after school. He decided to take Lucy up on her offer for some "Friendly Advice".

Lucy was seated at her Psychiatric booth with her feet up as she usually was. Ox walked up to her. "Hello, Lucy," he greeted.

"Hello, Ox," she said with a smile. "Have a seat. What's on your mind?"

"Well, I have a crush on a girl at school, but I heard some bad things about her. Pretty much everyone said the same thing about this girl and her friend, who was worse, and that I should stay as far away from her as possible. But I can't stop thinking about her. She's so pretty I can't stand it. But should I talk to someone with such a bad reputation?"

"Who is this girl?" Lucy asked with suspicion.

"Her name is Patty," Ox said. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, as she thought folks were talking about her. "And her friend's name is Violet, I think. From what I heard, they can be quite cruel."

"Yeah, pretty much what they said was right," Lucy stated. "But may I ask, what's in your heart, Oxie? Do you want to go out on a date with Patty, just to see if she's interested?"

"I would love that!" Ox said eagerly.

"So what's stopping you? Go for it. What have you got to lose? The worse that could happen is she says no."

"You're right, Lucy. I will ask her tomorrow during recess. Thanks for your help."

"Not a problem, Ox. Five cents, please."

Ox paid Lucy a nickel and went on his way. Lucy turned the "IN" sign around to "OUT" and went back inside her house. She immediately looked around to see if she was alone. When she didn't see either Linus or Rerun, she grabbed the phone and dialed a number. She waited for a second and someone answered.

"Hello, Violet? This is Lucy. You are not going to believe this. You know that big kid who's Linus and Charlie Brown's class? Yes. That's him. Anyway he has a huge crush on Patty. I know right? Anyway tomorrow he's going to ask her on a date. What I need you to do is give Patty a call and give her the details. We can humiliate this big oaf big time. He seems like a bigger patsy than Charlie Brown! No pun intended, of course. You're right. No one, not even Ox, can surpass Charlie Brown as far as patsies go. But it'll still be funny to embarrass this guy. Okay I gotta go. I'll give you more details later. I'll see you tomorrow when everything hits the fan. Okay, bye!"

Lucy snickered about her latest prank at poor Ox's expense. What she didn't know was someone was in fact listening. A little snoop she knew as her baby brother. As soon as she was out of sight, Rerun ran towards Charlie Brown's house to warn him about Lucy's latest prank against Ox.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: FORGET THE WHALES; SAVE THE OX!**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: CLIMAX!**

"I can't believe she'd do something so cruel to a nice guy like Ox!" Frieda said angrily. "Lucy has done some under-handed things before, but this is just wrong!"

"I know," said Charlie Brown. "Hopefully we can catch Ox before he asks Patty out."

The kids were on the playground the next day at school. Linus walked up to Charlie Brown and Frieda. He looked pretty mad, as well.

"Rerun filled me in," he said. "What Lucy is doing is awful. Even for her!"

"And when I was about to give her the benefit of the doubt," sighed Charlie Brown.

"Should we tell Ox about what Lucy is planning to do to him?" Frieda asked.

"As much as I hate to say this," Linus said, "I say we let it play out. All we can do is be there for Ox when they are finished with him. He won't listen to us anyway. He's in love. And when someone's in love they think anyone who doesn't approve is against them. So as much as any of us don't want this to happen, I'm afraid it has to. Maybe then Ox will see what we were talking about once and for all."

"I agree, Linus," said Charlie Brown. "I just hope they aren't too hard on the guy. He is new here, after all. It's not like it's me they're going after. I'm familiar with the routine, but he's not."

At that moment, Ox came by and started walking up to Patty and Violet. Lucy watched from a distance and smirked evilly. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Frieda also watched nervously. Patty turned her head to Ox to see who was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Uh hi," said a nervous Ox.

"Oh, hello," said Patty, stoically.

"My name is Oxford, but people call me Ox for short."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Oxford. My name is Patty, and this is my bestie, Violet."

"How do you do, Oxford?" said Violet, also stoic. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Frieda continued to watch, intensely waiting for what was going to happen.

"It's nice to meet you Violet," said Ox.

"Likewise," Violet replied.

"So Patty," Ox said, turning his attention back to Patty, "I was wondering since I'm new here, and I know we just met, if you would like to go out for a sundae at Ace's one of these days and get to know each other better."

The whole playground grew silent; you could hear a pin drop. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Frieda waited in anticipation. Lucy, meanwhile, grinned even wider. Her plan was about to come to fruition. Another was going to fall to Lucy Van Pelt, the Queen of Mean, her Royal Crabbiness, herself. The other kids were watching as intensely, waiting to see what Patty's response would be. What Patty said next shocked everyone to their core, even Lucy.

"I'd love to go with you to Ace's, Oxford."

Charlie Brown's jaw literally dropped when he heard that. He was expecting anything but Patty accepting Ox's invitation. Lucy smarmy grin disappeared into dumbfoundness. Linus and Frieda were equally shocked.

"You would?!"

"Absolutely! I know our reputation is probably not that great, especially how we treated your friend Charlie Brown in the past, but I assure you, I'd never give a new kid who's as sweet as you a hard time. At least not in the first meeting." She winked at Ox, causing him to blush.

"Wow," he said with disbelief. "That's great. So how does this weekend sound?"

"Unfortunately, I will be busy with my family this weekend, but we can do it Friday night," said Patty.

"Friday it is," Ox said with excitement.

"Okay, then," Patty said with a smile. "I'll see you Friday night, Oxie."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Oxford," said Violet, as she and Patty left. Ox waved to the two girls. Patty looked back and smiled at him. They then walked past Frieda, Linus, and a still shocked Charlie Brown.

"Don't worry, Charlie Brown," said Violet. "I promise we won't turn him against you. We think he's a good kid as well."

"But I heard that Lucy called you and planned to humiliate him," said Linus. "Why didn't you?"

"I'm curious about that, too," said Charlie Brown, finally snapping out of his stupor.

"Well it was true," Violet began. "Your sister had plan on making a fool out of poor Ox, as you call him. What she didn't plan on was I had already talked to the kid earlier. He told me about his crush on Patty and how he'd like to meet her. I told him I'd set everything up."

"When Violet told me," Patty added, "I had told her I liked Ox, as well. I liked him the day I saw him. He was so sweet and nice, and after the whole Thibault debacle* I wanted to try with someone who was nice, for once."

"After I got done with Patty," Violet continued, "that's when your sister called me, Linus, and told me about her insane plan to sabotage Ox's asking Patty on a date. She wanted Patty to say some of the cruelest things to him. The insults she had for him, they were so bad, I wouldn't even dream to say them to anyone. Not even to Charlie Brown here."

"I appreciate that," Charlie Brown said, half-sarcastically.

Violet continued with her story. "When Lucy told me her plans for Ox, I knew they were beyond cruel. Even more than the football gag she pulls on you, Charlie Brown. I may be mean, even snobbish, and a bit cruel myself, but even I have my limits!"

"YOU!" Lucy stormed towards the group with anger in her eyes. Linus, Charlie Brown, and Frieda wisely got out of there.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR BIG PLAN TO EMBARRASS THE BIG OX?! THE BIG, STUPID, ROLY POLY, WISHY-WASHIER THAN A CERTAIN BLOCKHEAD, OVERLY-BLOATED, FATTER THAN MOLLY VOLLEY ON A GOOD DAY, CREEPILY SOFT-VOICED, MORE ANNOYING THAN MY BROTHER WITH HIS STUPID BLANKET AND THAT STUPID BEAGLE SNOOPY COMBINED, BIG FOOTED, BIG HEADED, PEA-BRAINED, OBNIXIOUS OXFORD WARREN?!" Lucy was panting hard after that outburst.

"Are you finished?" Violet asked calmly. "Well, in the words of Samuel L. Jackson, 'allow me to retort.' What happened is that I already talked to Oxford prior to our conversation and he's a decent guy. Patty would be lucky to go out with a sweet guy like him. Yes he is bigger than the normal 10 year old. Heck, I'm older than he is, and he's taller than me. But he is a good guy. He's also a new kid here. This is different from Charlie Brown. We've known Charlie Brown most of our lives so he's fair game; Oxford just moved here. And if Patty wants to make him feel welcomed, that's her business. And she genuinely likes him as well. Does that mean they'll be boyfriend and girlfriend? Maybe; maybe not. But it's their lives. Let us get to know him before we rag on him."

Lucy stood quiet and embarrassed. Violet and Patty calmly walked away from the raven-haired brat leaving her alone on an empty playground. Class was back in session, but she continued to stand still. It was Charlie Brown and Frieda when they first started dating all over again. While not as intense as that moment was, she was humiliated again. After processing what just happened, she slowly walked back to class.

(*RECAP: Patty very briefly dated Peppermint Patty's former teammate Thibault. But because of his chauvinistic attitude, and threatening her, she broke it off with him at the Spring Dance. This is featured in my fanfic _It's New Love, Charlie Brown_.)

 **NEXT CHAPTER: A BRIEF DETOUR TO SEE WHAT SNOOPY'S BEEN UP TO**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF THE FOREIGN LEGION**

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're going to break from the main story for a little bit to look in on the World Famous Sergeant of the Foreign Legion and his troops, a.k.a. Snoopy, Woodstock, and their bird friends. It is told through Snoopy's thoughts._

 _Here's the World Famous Sergeant of the Foreign Legion and his troops on their way to take back Fort Zinderneuf from the enemy forces. We planned this attack for quite some time and now we have a plan in action. My second-in-command Captain Woodstock directs the rest of the troops to bring the cannon in. They bring the cannon to the front of Fort Zinderneuf and ready it._

 _Before we launch our attack, I give our enemies a chance to surrender willingly and spare themselves an assault from us. They laugh at us and don't surrender. I say "Pretty please with chocolate chip cookies on top?" They laugh even harder._

 _I direct my troops to ready the cannon. Captain Woodstock gives the order to the troops to light the cannon. "This is it, men! It's Sydney or the bush!" And in a split second…_

 **BOOM!**

 _When the dust settled I looked up. I was shocked at what I saw. We blew off the top of Fort Zinderneuf! I said to my troops, "What have we done?!"_

Charlie Brown and Frieda were walking towards his house for a study date when they heard the explosion.

"What was that, Charlie Brown?" asked a frightened Frieda.

"I don't know," said an equally startled Charlie Brown. "It sounded like a cannon!"

As they got closer they saw smoke coming from the backyard of Charlie Brown's house. They ran back to see the top of Snoopy's doghouse blown off. And they saw a startled Snoopy and his bird friends dressed like the Foreign Legion. Snoopy simply thought in regards to the cannon, "We didn't know it was loaded."

"Good grief, Snoopy!" exclaimed Charlie Brown. "You've blown the roof off your doghouse! What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking it was Fort Zinderneuf," thought Snoopy.

"Why can't I have a normal dog like everyone else?" lamented a spent Charlie Brown. "C'mon, Frieda. Let's get started studying."

Before she left with Charlie Brown, Frieda turned to Snoopy and said, "And this is why you should be out chasing rabbits." And she followed her boyfriend into the house to begin their studying, leaving the mischievous beagle to ponder how he was going to sleep on top of his house that night.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: LOWDOWN LUCY**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: OX IN LOVE**

After her failed attempt at humiliating Ox, Lucy was in hot water with her friends again. For their part Charlie Brown and the rest all decided not to tell Ox about what Lucy tried to do to him. They didn't want to upset him. Charlie Brown knew how cruel Lucy could be first hand. He was used to it, but Ox probably couldn't fathom someone being so mean. But Ox was happy that he scored a date with Patty, and with Violet's approval. He was one of the happiest boys in the neighborhood.

Sometime around 7 in the evening, Charlie Brown gets a call on the phone. It's Peppermint Patty calling him.

"Well, Chuck," she began, "I've been spending my nights at Marcie's. I hope this makes me well-rested and not go to school tired. I'm also trying real hard not to get distracted by things. Marcie's parents make us study for two hours straight before dinner. Then we get to watch some TV before bed."

"I take it your dad still works nights," said Charlie Brown.

"Yeah. I get so scared being home all alone that I stay up most of the night worrying that it affects my school work. This year I'm determined to get grades higher than D Minuses. And if staying at Marcie's during the week is the way to do it, so be it."

"Well I hope it works out," Charlie Brown replied. "Anyway I've been meaning to tell you we got a new kid at our school. His name is Oxford, but everyone calls him Ox. He's really big, but not fat. He's just really large, tall, and strong. And in spite of all that, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's one of the nicest kids around."

"I'd like to meet this Ox," Peppermint Patty said. "He's sounds like a cool guy."

"Everyone has been nice to him. That is, except Lucy."

"What did Lucille do this time?"

"Well Ox has a crush on Patty, Violet's best friend. And he went to Lucy's Psychiatric booth of all places for advice. While her advice sounded genuine, she had a plan to make Patty reject him by saying some of the cruelest things about him."

"And let me guess, the 'Snob Squad' struck again. Right?"

"Actually, it back fired big time on Lucy. Unbeknownst to her, Violet had already talked with Ox prior to hearing from Lucy, and Ox told her about how he liked Patty. So Violet set everything up so he could talk to Patty. Also it turns out that Patty kind of had a liking to Ox as well."

"So what happened with Lucille's plans?"

"Well, Ox got his date with Patty this Friday, and as I learned, there are debts even Violet wouldn't even dream of going, even with me. So everyone is mad at Lucy again for trying to hurt a nice guy like Ox."

"Well it serves her right, Chuck," said Peppermint Patty. "What in the world's the matter with her?"

"I don't know, Patty," said Charlie Brown sadly, "but I really feel sorry for Linus and Rerun. We only have to deal with her during the day at school and on the weekends. They have to deal with her 24/7/365!"

"I get what you mean. Anyway, I'm about to get ready for bed. Need to get rested up if I'm going to avoid D Minuses. Talk to you later, Chuck ol' boy."

"Goodnight, Patty." Charlie Brown hung up the phone and got ready for bed himself. Just as he was about to go to sleep, Sally walked in his room.

"Psst! Big brother!" she whispered. "Is it true about what Lucy tried to do to your friend Ox?"

"Unfortunately it is, Sally," said Charlie Brown.

"That's too bad. I think your friend is a real swell guy. He's lucky to have you as a friend, big brother."

"Thanks Sally. Anyway I think we should get some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight." And she walked back to her room. Charlie Brown was about to go to sleep when he heard some banging at the door. It was Snoopy kicking the door as he usually did. Charlie Brown let him in. Because of his roof having been blown off his house, Snoopy couldn't lay on top of it. So he slept with his owner until they could repair the roof.

The next day, Charlie Brown, Sally, Frieda, and Schroeder were waiting for the bus. Linus and Rerun walked up. They noticed Lucy wasn't with them.

"I never thought I hear myself ask this," Schroeder began, "but where's your sister?"

"She said she was sick," Linus said. "I think she's just embarrassed for her futile attempt to humiliate poor Ox. So she decided to hide out."

"Probably for the best," said Sally. Everyone nodded in agreement. The bus showed up to take the kids to school and they boarded.

Later at the school, Charlie Brown and Frieda are walking together when they spot Ox and Patty walking hand in hand. They smiled at the scene.

"Aww," Frieda began. "Isn't that cute, Charlie Brown?"

"Yeah," said Charlie Brown. "I hate to admit it, but they look good together. I hope some of Ox's niceness rubs off on her. She's already nicer than Violet, but maybe Ox will get her to stop being so self-centered at times."

"We can only hope," Frieda agreed. "It just makes me sick that someone like Lucy would try to sabotage that."

"I know. It's like anyone's happiness makes her sick. You remember how she reacted when we first started dating. She eventually accepted it, but unless it's her and Schroeder, nobody can be happy together dating."

"Well here's my class. I'll see you at lunch, sweetie." Frieda kissed Charlie Brown and went inside Mr. Garrett's class. Charlie Brown headed for his class.

Later, Sally was standing in front of Mr. Frumple. She was nervous as he looked over her homework project. Luckily he liked it and gave her an A. She was relieved. She managed to get in good with Mr. Frumple and she wanted to keep him happy. He handed her project back to her and she went back to her desk.

At lunch, Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, and Schroeder were sitting together. They were discussing Lucy's latest attempt at derailing a budding relationship before it could begin. While all were upset with Lucy, Schroeder was downright livid.

"And she wonders why I don't want to be with her, let alone MARRY her," he ranted. "Look at the stuff she does! If it's not torturing Linus or threatening Snoopy with something that would land her in hot water with the Humane Society, and don't get me started on the abuse she heaps on Charlie Brown, she's ruining other relationships, or in this case, a relationship before it could begin. I'm glad Violet and Patty took the high road, for once. And Patty seems happy with Ox."

"I know, Schroeder," said Linus. "I'm her brother, and even I don't understand why she does the things she do. Maybe it's a mental illness. Some folks can only be happy if others are miserable."

"That in itself must be a miserable existence," said Charlie Brown. Ox and Patty walked up to the kids.

"Hey guys," said Ox. "How is everybody?"

"Good, Ox," said Frieda. "It looks like you and Patty been spending a lot of time together."

"Oh yeah," said Patty. "Oxford's a sweet boy and is well-mannered. He's a definite improvement over Thibault."

"You told him about Thibault?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Yeah," Ox replied. "She filled me in on what happened last year at the Spring Dance. I told her I'd never treat her like that and she could do whatever she wanted to do. I hope I never meet that kid. He sounds awful."

"More than you know," agreed Charlie Brown. "He goes to Peppermint Patty's school. You remember I told you about her and her friends?"

"I remember."

"Well Thibault used to play on her team. But after a run-in with Marcie, again because she was a girl, he was kicked off the team. But not before Marcie decked him first."

"Well I know if he tries any funny business with Patty, I'll make him think twice."

"Aww isn't he sweet?" cooed Patty.

"He sure is," said Violet walking in to join the group. "Shermy wanted to deck the little shrimp as well, but we girls beat him to the punch. Pun definitely intended."

"It sounds like this Thibault is a troublemaker," said Ox.

"Amongst another we know," whispered Frieda to Charlie Brown, who nodded in agreement.

"Well me and Oxie better get back to lunch," Patty said. "Toodles!"

"I'll join you guys in a bit," said Violet. Patty and Ox went to eat their lunch. Violet turned to Charlie Brown and his friends. "I need your help, guys."

Charlie Brown almost fell out of his seat. "Oh my gosh," he started. "Is Violet Gray asking for help from ol' wishy-washy Charlie Brown?"

"I guess I deserve that," Violet said, looking down. "Anyway, I didn't want to tell Patty and Oxford this, making them upset, but rumor has it Thibault is stalking Patty."

"What?" everyone gasped.

"It's just a rumor," Violet continued, "but I need to know for sure. Someone said they thought they saw Thibault lurking near her house. They weren't exactly sure it was him, but they said this kid had sideburns like he does. But they couldn't get a good look at his face."

"Do you think she's telling the truth, Charlie Brown?" asked Linus.

"I think so," said Charlie Brown, cautiously. "Violet is many things, but she's always been straight with me, even when putting me down. She would never lie about anything."

"What do you want us to do, Violet?" asked Frieda.

"Get in touch with Peppermint Patty," Violet said. "She knows the little runt. She can get better information on if Thibault is really stalking Patty. If he is, THEN we let her and Ox know."

Charlie Brown thought for a moment. He knew Thibault was bad news, but he never in his wildest dreams would think he was capable of stalking someone. But he wouldn't put it past him, either.

"Okay, Violet," said Charlie Brown, cautiously. "After school, I'll call Peppermint Patty and we will set something up and see if Thibault's really stalking Patty. But if he is, we get both of the schools and their parents involved. We don't take the law into our own hands. And if he is stalking her, we try to get her to safety. Agreed?"

"Okay," said Violet. "But I'll be the one to tell her. Okay?"

"Okay. Well you better get back over to them."

"You're right. Keep me posted on what's happening."

"We'll do that." And Violet went and joined Patty and Ox. Shermy joined them as well. Charlie Brown and his friends were left to ponder what they just heard. One of their classmates may have a stalker and it's a known chauvinist. They wondered what would happen if Thibault was in fact stalking Patty. The whole Lucy situation wasn't as important anymore, as they needed to get the facts about this possible stalking.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: TO CATCH A SHRIMP**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: DETECTIVE WORK**

Charlie Brown and Frieda were with Peppermint Patty and Franco discussing the whole Thibault Stalking situation at Joe's Café. As long as she knew him, Peppermint Patty would've never suspected Thibault of stalking someone, no matter how mean and angry he was.

"I have no clue about it, Chuck," said Peppermint Patty. "I haven't heard anything about Thibault even talking about Patty or even getting revenge. I don't see much of Thibault at school. He's pretty much stayed to himself this year so far."

"Yah," added Franco. "Patricia told me about kid and he didn't act like how she described. Maybe he scared of girls beating him up again."

"Well I think we should still keep an eye on him," Charlie Brown said, seriously. "If he's threatening or stalking people, even if it's one half of the 'Snob Squad', that's still serious."

"I agree, Chuck," Patty said. "But who can we get to spy on him without getting detected?"

"I know someone," said Frieda.

"Who?" everyone else asked.

"Well, Charlie Brown, he lives in your backyard."

"Snoopy?" said a bewildered Charlie Brown. "He only plays a secret agent. He's not really a spy."

"Well you can make it out like it's a game," Frieda suggested. "Tell him that a criminal mastermind possibly sent his henchman on a mission to spy on a damsel in distress. I guarantee he'll go for it."

"I don't doubt he'll go for it," Charlie Brown said with concern, "I'm just afraid Thibault will catch him. And if he does anything to my dog, I'm obviously not a fighter, but when it comes to the three important things in my life, I will take a bullet for them."

"Three important things, Chuck?" asked Peppermint Patty.

"Snoopy, my family, and of course, Frieda," stated Charlie Brown.

"Oh, Charlie Brown!" Frieda embraced him and planted a kiss on him, making him blush.

"Alright, Chuck, enough of the mushy stuff!" Patty said getting to business. "You get Snoopy to go on this 'mission' and wait for him to report back with any info he may have. If Thibault's indeed stalking Patty, we'll take it from there."

Everyone agreed and after finishing their malts, they left Joe's. Later at his house, Charlie Brown walked up to Snoopy, who was napping on top of his doghouse. He must've repaired the roof, Charlie Brown thought to himself.

"Snoopy," Charlie Brown began, "I got a serious job for you." Snoopy rolled over to face his owner.

"There's this evil mastermind. He may have his top henchman spying on a young damsel. This henchman in question is a short guy with long hair and thick sideburns. He also frowns a lot. I need you to check and see if he's spying on the young damsel. If he is, come back immediately and report to me. There will be a reward of a bunch of chocolate chip cookies for you if you complete this mission. Here is the picture of the henchman. He goes by the name of Thibault."

Snoopy takes the picture from Charlie Brown, and gives him a salute and heads into his newly-repaired doghouse. When he comes out he's dressed in a hat and trench coat. He gives Charlie Brown another salute and heads out. We hear Snoopy's inner monologue:

 _Here's the World Famous Secret Agent on an important mission that was just given to him moments ago. Apparently there's a short, Elvis-style sideburned curmudgeon possibly eyeing a possible damsel in distress. Possibly. He retrieves his sidekick, Woodstock for aid in this caper._

Snoopy grabs Woodstock and they go forth looking for Thibault.

 _As the World Famous Secret Agent looks over the mugshot of this evil guy spying on poor girls, he notices this gent frowns a lot. Must be a very unpleasant person. He searches high and low for his target._

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Linus were standing by the wall talking about everything that had happened; from Lucy's attempt to humiliate Ox, to Patty's possibly being stalked by a vengeful Thibault.

"So you sent Snoopy to spy on Thibault to see if he's stalking Patty?" asked Linus.

"Yeah," said Charlie Brown. "It was Frieda's idea."

"I guess if anyone can spy on Thibault without getting detected, it would be him."

"How are things with Lucy?"

"She's more ashamed than angry at this point. Though don't count on her to willingly admit it."

"I'm surprised that she actually feels some guilt over what she did."

"I know. She actually may be human after all!"

"As far as Thibault goes, I hope Snoopy doesn't get caught by him. If he did anything to harm Snoopy, I may go Lucy on him, myself."

"Wow! I've never seen this side of you, Charlie Brown."

"When it comes to my dog, Linus, I take no prisoners."

Later Snoopy and Woodstock find Thibault leaving his house and starts walking somewhere. We hear more of Snoopy's inner monologue:

 _We spot out quarry and follow from a distance. The boy seems to be in a hurry for something. As we continue to follow far behind, the boy stops at an ice cream shop._

They end up at Ace's Ice Cream Shop. Thibault looks in the window. Then he goes inside.

 _As me and my assistant get a closer look after the boy went into the place, we see him sitting at the bar with a chocolate sundae to die for. He seems to be watching a couple, however. This couple is an odd pairing to say the least. The boy is large, yet is childlike at the same time, while the girl looks very normal, yet very pretty. They seem to be enjoying each other's company. The boy who I'm watching seems to be watching them. The girl must be the one the round-headed kid mentioned. Woodstock, we need to get back to headquarters! But first, get some pictures!_

Woodstock started taking pictures and after he was done, they ran back home to show Charlie Brown what they found.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: THIBAULT, WE HARDLY KNEW YE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: LAYING THE TRAP**

"THAT LITTLE WORM!" Violet exclaimed loudly. She was at Charlie Brown's house along with Frieda, Linus, Sally, Snoopy, Woodstock, Schroeder, Shermy, Peppermint Patty, and Franco.

"I knew I should have decked that little punk at the Spring Dance," an angry Shermy said through gritted teeth.

"He was stalking Patty all this time!" she shouted some more. "We need to do something about him and fast!"

"I agree," said Linus, "but we need to catch Thibault really stalking Patty for something to really be done. Sure he was at Ace's and Patty and Ox _happened_ to be there. But that's open to the public, and he can go in there anytime he wants. He could say that he was just getting a sundae and they were there by coincidence. There's nothing concrete."

"Much as I hate to say it," Peppermint Patty said, "I do have to agree with Linus. We need more proof than just an outing to an ice cream parlor where the person he's supposed to be stalking is there around a lot of people. He will look innocent."

"Exactly," Linus continued. "And to catch a blockhead, we need to trap a blockhead."

"I don't follow," Violet said confused.

"Now I mentioned that we needed further evidence that he is in fact stalking Patty. Why not give him that chance? The only problem is that we'll have to get Patty in on this. And we will have to tell her parents and the police."

"I didn't want to get her involved in this," Violet lamented. "Now it seems there's no choice."

"We'll let you talk to her, Violet," Charlie Brown said. "She'll listen to you. We can back you up if you want us to."

"Thanks, Charlie Brown. You know? You may not be the greatest person who ever lived, but you're all right. If we get through this, I'm having a party next week, but this time I WILL invite you!"

"I'd like that," said Charlie Brown with a smile. Frieda gave a hug to him. After that everyone left for Patty's house. Before they left, Charlie Brown called Ox to meet them there as well.

At Patty's house, Violet explained to her and her parents what was going on with Thibault and him possibly stalking her. She was scared but glad Ox was there for support. Her parents called the police and later they came. They said the same thing Linus had said earlier about setting a trap and getting more proof. And they thought it was a good idea to use Patty herself as bait to catch Thibault in the act. Patty reluctantly agreed to do it.

Later that day, Patty stepped outside her house and started walking seemingly by herself. Thibault, who was hiding in a nearby bush, started following from a distance. Little did he know that an undercover police officer was tailing him as well. Patty looked out the corner of her eye and saw Thibault at quite a distance from her, but still following. She turned a corner off her street. He followed behind, not too close, but close enough to keep her in sight. The undercover police was also following the two. As Patty reached the library near her house, she went in. Thibault followed her in. The undercover cop said something on their walkie-talkie. Little did Thibault know was that the library staff was in on the surveillance of him. He never suspected a thing. As Patty started looking at books on the shelf, Thibault watched her intensely from the row she was in. He stayed a safe distance from her, but still watched her. The contempt for her on his face was evident.

"How dare this broad dump me?" he thought to himself. "She needs to know her place. And I'm the MAN to do it! When I get through with her, she will regret the day she dumped Thibault!" And then he started walking closer toward her. That's when one of the undercover cops grabbed him by the arm and placed him under arrest for stalking. He was dragged outside. He didn't go without a fight; he was kicking and screaming. He was saying things that made the stuff Lucy said about Ox when she tried to set him up seem tame by comparison. Patty breathed a sigh of relief. It was done.

The next day, Lucy finally made it back to the outside world. She wanted to forget the whole Ox fiasco. She wanted to start again on a clean slate with Ox. She knew she was wrong. She thought he was another Charlie Brown that she could break down, but didn't count on everyone putting a stop to her shenanigans. She wasn't completely out of the loop, as Linus told her about how Thibault was stalking Patty after their breakup and how he got arrested. The first thing Lucy did was visited Charlie Brown.

"Lucy," said Charlie Brown, surprised to see her. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, I guess," she said, sadly. "Charlie Brown, do you have Ox's number?"

"Why?" asked Charlie Brown, cautiously.

"I want to apologize to him about almost sabotaging his chances with Patty," said Lucy.

"Lucy, he doesn't know you tried to humiliate him."

"He doesn't?"

"No. We all agreed not to tell him about it so not to upset him. He still thinks of you as a friend. Why not try to be his friend, instead of trying to make a fool out of him? That's what you got me for, remember?"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" They both started laughing. "Okay, Charlie Brown. I'll be a friend to him. I will apologize to Patty, though. She deserves it just as much as he did."

"I think that's a good idea."

"Anyway, what's this I hear about Snoopy almost blowing up the neighborhood?"

"He somehow got his paws on a cannon and while playing the World Famous Sergeant of the Foreign Legion, he accidently blew the top of his doghouse off. He since repaired it, though."

"That stupid beagle! Is he trying to destroy the whole neighborhood?! You should make him do hard labor for this, Charlie Brown! If he was MY dog, I wouldn't put up with this tomfoolery! I'd straighten him out but good! I would…"

"Oh good grief!" Charlie Brown said, holding his head. Lucy was indeed back.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: AFTER THE DUST SETTLES, PIG PEN ENTERS THE SCENE!**


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: ALL IS WELL AGAIN…**

Sometime later at Joe's Café, Charlie Brown, Frieda, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franco, and Hans, along with Violet and Shermy, are eating lunch. The first week of school had finally ended. And all of the drama was done, for now.

"So what happened with Thibault after he was arrested?" asked Schroeder.

"From what Patty told me," Violet said, "he was given a restraining order not to come within a hundred feet of Patty and her house. If he did, he would be arrested again. Since he was a juvenile, he couldn't go to prison, but I heard he was doing some community service."

"And I can fill you in on the rest," added Peppermint Patty. "He was suspended from school, indefinitely. Turns out our school really frowns down on stalking."

"Well I heard he tried to get enrolled in our school," said Charlie Brown, "but because of the restraining order Patty's family has against him, he can't go there, either."

"Well speak of the devil," Lucy said as Patty and Ox walked in.

"Hey everybody," said Ox.

"Hi Ox! Hi Patty!" everyone said.

"Ox," Charlie Brown began, "this is Peppermint Patty and her boyfriend Franco."

"Guten Tag, Ox," said Franco.

"Hey kid," said Peppermint Patty. "So you're the Ox Chuck's been telling me about, eh?"

"Yeah," said Ox. "Who's Chuck?"

"That's me, Ox," Charlie Brown said. "And this is Marcie and her boyfriend Hans."

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Ox," Marcie said, politely.

"How are you, mien friend?" greeted Hans.

"Pretty good."

"Well I'm doing great!" Patty said with a smile on her face. "I got this wonderful guy here and he is my rock." She hugged Ox's arm. He blushed a little.

"Hey everybody. I'm not late, am I?" It was Pig Pen. Everyone groaned in horror as he got closer, except Ox, who had yet to meet the human dust cloud.

"Patty, I heard that Thibault gave you some trouble and I was wondering if you were all right," he said.

"Yeah, I'm good," Patty said, between coughs. "Thank you for your concern, Pig Pen."

"Who's the new kid?" Pig Pen wondered.

"Hi, my name is Ox," said the large boy with a heart of gold.

"Hi Ox. It's nice to meet you. They call me Pig Pen."

"Nice to meet you, Pig Pen. You got a lot of dust around you."

"Understatement of the century," Violet joked.

"I may have a lot of dust around me, Ox," Pig Pen stated, "but I have plenty of clean thoughts."

"C'mon, let's get some fresh air!" Lucy finally said. Everyone got up and went outside.

"I'll wait for you outside, Oxie," said Patty, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then headed for the door.

"So where are you from, Ox?" asked Pig Pen.

"I'm originally from Boise, Idaho. I don't like potatoes, though. I think it's because I come from a state that grows them all the time." And Ox and Pig Pen got to know each other pretty well. In fact everyone became friends with Ox. Even Lucy warmed up to him after a rocky start. Plus Ox now had a girlfriend in Patty, who adored him. Things were great for the new kid.

 _All is well again_

 _I think I'm gonna be all right_

 _And I'm feeling better_

 _Again_

 _Loving you was sad_

 _Affairs of timing that were bad_

 _And the laughing ended_

 _Again_

 _There was a time_

 _When I thought I was fooling myself_

 _But now, I'll take a bow_

' _Cause I'm free and easy_

 **THE END**

"All Is Well" written by Robert Lamm

© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Spirit Music Group


End file.
